Letters: Civil litigation costs are disproportionate
Posted on January 23rd, 2010
Stephen Cavalier (Letters, 21 January) is wrong to assert that it is claimants and not lawyers who will be the losers from Lord Justice Jackson’s recommendations in his review of civil litigation costs. The overriding goal has to be to ensure that genuine claimants receive fair compensation, with the legal costs reflecting both the nature and the complexity of the case. This independent report concludes that the current system for legal costs does not work. Legal costs are completely disproportionate and are paid for by everyone in society, whether it be British businesses and motorists having to pay higher insurance premiums or the NHS and local authorities having to divert money from frontline services to pay for the costs of lawyers. For every pound paid in compensation an extra 40 pence is paid in legal costs.
It really is no surprise that this letter comes from a law firm which will be seeking to defend its income. It is time that law firms became more accountable to their customers. We want to see a new world where consumers can make an informed choice on which law firm they use based on quality and value for money, which is what happens in all other areas of the market.
Maggie Craig
Acting director general, Association of British Insurers
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